2013 Films

Subscribe To Myerla

Thursday, 24 November 2011

The Help movie review.

During the late fifties and sixties there was a Second Civil Rights
Movement that intended to eradicate discriminatory racial laws that were in
place in America. This is a time when racial segregation was common and icons
of the era such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X became instrumental and
influential figures during the era. Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett of
the same name, The Help sets itself during this time period as two housemaids
tell their side of the story to a journalist who decides to write an article
(about the black housemaids) never written before in an attempt to gain
experience and recognition to be able to work for a prestigious newspaper.

This journalist is Eugenia "Skeeter"
Phelan (Emma Stone) who is young and ambitious with a promising career ahead of
her. Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) is a black maid who spends her whole time
looking after white children of white families while cleaning, cooking and
serving guests, while the housewives play bridge. Aibileen, after some pressure
from Skeeter, decides to participate in the book (that Skeeter proposes to
write) that tells of her life as a maid and in the southern state of
Mississippi the writing of this book could have grave consequences.

The Help is a hugely entertaining, funny, feel
good (almost too feel good when considering the central theme) film that is
bursting with exceptional performances that help the rather long 145 minute
running time breeze past. Emma Stone, at the ripe young age of 23, has proved
that she can do comedy with Easy A, has now proved she can be more than a
capable leading lady. She plays an ambitious journalist seeking a career. She
is driven to write the book to work for a prestigious newspaper and the love
she has for the old family housemaid Constantine (played by Cicely Tyson) who
has left while Skeeter was still at university. Skeeter is suspicious that
there is more to this story than what her mum is telling her. The relationship
between Skeeter and Constantine can also be seen between Aibileen Clark and the
daughter of Elizabeth Leefolt. The relationship is a moving one and becomes the
heart and soul of the film. Aibileen creates a far stronger motherly
relationship with the young child than the actual mother. So Emma Stone is
terrific and Viola Davis delivers a superb, poignant performance of her own and
Octavia Spencer (as the maid Minny) finishes off the collection fine
performances with an entertaining and comic performance that generates most of
the laughs. Emma Stone and Viola Davis battle it out for the best performance
from an impressive cast list but it is Davis's heartfelt performance that wins
out as she becomes the glue that holds the movie together by keeping the viewer
engaged.

Stephen Goldblatt's cinematography beautifully
reproduces the 60s (the bright visuals emulate the feel of the movie) as The
Help works staggeringly well as a piece of entertainment that is undoubtedly a
Hollywood style tear jerker. At times the emotional aspects are authentic as
The Help is certainly a movie with a strong beating heart but some aspects are
typical corny and cheesy Hollywood sentimentality. While there is a heart, The
Help is not quite as moving and powerful as it should be. This is because it
seems to be a film made for the audience, the film almost becomes too light
hearted for its own good and it could even be argued that it trivialises the
racism that black people were subjected to. The villain of the story is Hilly
Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) who is campaigning for separate bathrooms for
The Help (the black housemaids) and it's hilarious when she gets her
comeuppance. Jessica Chastain's (who seems to be in everything at the moment)
Celia Foote is delightfully naive and Minny's eye rolling is a joy to watch.
That said, however, there are some elements of humour that seem rather out
place like Celia Foote vomiting at a party. It seems to Judd Apatow like.

Very similar to the 1988 film Mississippi
Burning, The Help takes a rather liberal perspective of the Civil Rights
Movement claiming that white people are the ones who inspired black people to
rise up against their shocking, unjust treatment (which is a big fat lie).
Skeeter is the one who inspires Aibileen and Minny to gain the courage and tell
their stories, Tate Taylor and writer Kathryn Stockett completely dismiss the
influence that the likes of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X had during the
era. The Help rather glosses over its central theme not really presenting a
deep understanding of the era. Director Tate Taylor only just scratches the
surface of what black people had to endure during a long, dark story of racial
injustice which has plagued the country since the slaves were imported after
the country's colonisation. The politics of the era are rather ignored and thus
the film can be interpreted as rather patronising and condescending but The
Help had nothing but good intentions despite displaying a limited knowledge of
the era.

While some of the politics may be an issue, Tate
Taylor has very little problems in crafting a film that remains consistently
enjoyable throughout the lengthy running time as the film plays as a
comedy-drama intended to please mainstream audiences without really taking any
bold risks with the subject material. Yet I was drawn in, engaged by the
characters, the sublime performances and the amusing dialogue, so while The
Help is as sentimental, Hollywood feel good fluff, it is, thankfully,
entertaining. The Help plays as a crowd pleaser rather than an informative,
deadly serious piece on the Civil Rights Movement which many historians of the
era may take issue with but it still remains a hard film to hate thanks to the
delightful performances. So while The Help is wonderfully entertaining it is
hindered by rather large flaws.